MIT has 3D printed shape-shifting pasta

Many of you are familiar with the innovations made in 3D printed food, such as with chocolate and cake molds, an exciting innovation for the foodies around the world. But now MIT’S Tangible Media Group is bringing us the next level of 3D printed food, with their shape-shifting pasta, a new way to make dinnertime both sustainable and fun!

Using 3D printing technology, researchers have discovered a way to make us more engaged than ever with our food; a strategy that is sure to capture adults and kids alike. But, these fun shape changes were not just created for our mealtime entertainment. Instead, they were engineered to make the packaging of pasta more efficient, ultimately saving costs and making food shipping and packaging more sustainable.

The screen printing process// MIT

Researchers Lining Yao and Wen Wang printed their pasta with a 3Drag 3D printer chassis with a Velleman 8400 control board using Marlin firmware and the Choco syringe extruders. Using a flat, two-layer sheet made of gelatin (a density that naturally curls when in water) and starch, they then printed edible cellulose onto the gelatin. Because cellulose doesn’t absorb much water, it thus acts as a “barrier,” controlling how much water the gelatin layer is exposed to.